Up Close with the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 Gold Watch

The new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 watch in 18ct rose gold features a redesigned flat slide rule bezel and a domed sapphire crystal glass front, creating a more comfortable and compact design for wearing daily on the wrist.

To mark 70 years of the iconic Navitimer watch, Breitling makes some clever adjustments to an already-popular design, bringing a new range of colour to the series, whilst at the same time keeping the integral elements of its classic DNA perfectly intact.

How has the iconic Navitimer evolved?

From its concept in 1952 right through to its most recent bold and colourful kin, the Navitimer has always managed to maintain its classic looks and indispensable features for superior aircraft navigation. That said, some elements have evolved subtly to create both a practical chronograph for the modern gent and a cockpit tool with a redesigned slide rule bezel that achieves a compact look on the wrist. CEO of Breitling, Georges Kern extends on the famous luxury pilot’s watch;

“The Navitimer is one of the most recognizable watches ever made. It’s on collectors’ lists of the greatest watches of all time. What began as a tool for pilots has gone on to mean something profound to every single person who has had this timepiece along on their personal journey.”

The first Navitimer was developed exclusively for the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), who requested a wrist-worn navigational tool that could carry out important air-bound calculations like measuring fuel consumption, distance travelled, decent and climb rate, average speed and the conversion of miles to nautical miles or kilometres. The first Navitimer watches were emblazoned with the AOPA logo upon their dial, but by the time the official 806 reference was released, complete with Breitling’s name and winged logo stamped to its surface, the Navitimer had already become a mainstay in the cockpit of most transatlantic flights. Its 41mm size, considered large back in the 1950s, featured a slide rule bezel that Willy Breitling had adopted from the logarithmic slide rule of the brand’s earlier Chronomat watch. The Navitimer was renowned for its easy-grip beaded bezel and its luminous Arabic numerals placed upon a spacious and legible dial. Since then, its size has grown, as has its range of dial colours, case materials and the design of its bezel which transformed from a beaded effect to a serrated effect during the 1960s. What’s more, a date was added, as well as the release of an automatic-powered watch to accompany the former hand-wound mechanical Navitimer.

To honour this legendary instrument Breitling has released three stainless steel Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 watches and 1 x 18ct rose gold version, four stainless steel Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 watches and a matching 18ct rose gold version, three dial colours for the new stainless steel Navitimer B01 Chronograph 41 models and a rose gold version, a special deep green-coloured dial version of the steel Navitimer Automatic 41 watch with an engraved caseback, and lastly, a lady’s steel Navitimer Automatic 35 model with a mint green dial and engraved caseback. In this article, we’re taking a look at the new 18ct rose gold version of the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 watch.

The release of the new Navitimer range also coincides with Breitling’s NAVITIMER—FOR THE JOURNEY campaign. The new Navitimer squad comprises basketball superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland, and aviation pioneer and explorer Bertrand Piccard – all of whom have achieved their ambitions by chasing their dreams and enduring sheer resilience and determination. Relating to this courage shared by Swiss watch manufacturer, Breitling, Misty Copeland extends on what it means to become part of the Navitimer Squad:

“This project means a lot to me because it celebrates not only where I was in life, but where I’d come from and where I am going. There is an absolute parallel between navigating towards a physical destination and navigating towards the vision of where you want to be in life. You’ll see that theme come through in these three stories.”

The new 18ct rose gold Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 watch

Make no mistake that the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 rose gold watch still feels as stylish and as sophisticated on the wrist as it ever did. But now there are more colours at play, together with a slightly reworked design that keeps the watch feeling compact on the wrist despite its 46mm case size. To do this, Breitling adds a domed anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass top to the surface of the watch, alongside a flat slide rule bezel that is still just as easy to grip.

Water-resistant to 30 metres, this luxurious 18ct rose gold Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 watch donates a somewhat more luxurious feel to the wrist compared to its classic steel counterparts. The model features a transparent sapphire crystal glass caseback that enables a clear view of the in-house Calibre 01 whilst in motion. Complete with a vertical clutch and column wheel, the COSC-certified movement produces an impressive 70-hour power reserve and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour whilst offering a 1/4th of a second chronograph hand (seen on the dial in a vivid red), a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour totaliser at 6 o’clock, and a small second sub-counter at 9 o’clock. The date is discreetly placed at 6 o’clock and can be changed at any point without affecting the time. Complete with a 5-year warranty, this powerful movement propels a set of Super-LumiNova-coated rose gold-coloured hands around a silver dial peerlessly. The chronograph counters are filled with a sleek black colour to match the slide rule scale around the edge of the dial.

The new Breitling Navitimer B1 Chronograph 46 watch in rose gold also features a non-screw locked crown with two gaskets, along with two 18ct rose gold piston-style push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock on the case. The watch is fitted on a black alligator leather strap with white contrast stitching and a stainless steel folding buckle, but can also be purchased on an 18ct rose gold 7-row bracelet with a butterfly clasp stamped with the iconic Breitling logo.

For more information on the new 18ct rose gold version of the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 46 watch, you can check out the model here, or call and speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team today on 01335 453453